Fairfield Porter: A Life in Art

by Justin Spring

This absorbing biography of Fairfield Porter makes clear John Ashbery`s assessment of Porter as "perhaps the major American artist of this century." Justin Spring tells of Porter`s troubled, bohemian life, his struggle to raise a family while dealing with a bisexual identity, his work as an artist producing realist works in the midst of the Abstract Expressionist movement, and his late triumph as a painter and critic.

Genres: Art

Hardcover

First published December 11, 1999

About the author

Justin Spring is a New York based writer specializing in twentieth-century American art and culture. He is the author of many monographs, catalogs, museum publications, and books, including the biography Fairfield Porter: A Life in Art (Yale University Press, 2000) and Paul Cadmus: The Male Nude (Universe, 2002). He has been the recipient of a number of grants, fellowships, and awards, including a Guggenheim Fellowship and the International Association of Art Critics Best Show Award. He has held research fellowships from Yale University, Brown University, Radcliffe College and Amherst College. His monograph on Paul Cadmus was a finalist for the Lamda Literary Award in Art History.

Reviews

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sometimes you learn why more about someone you admire when you read a biography. I have always been drawn to the work of Fairfield Porter but was unaware of his personal issues. I still think he is a key American artist of the 20th century.

[Tara · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was recommended by a painter friend who saw that I was looking at Wolf Kahn. I can't wait to see who is recommended after Fairfield Porter-- a whole new level of color that consumes the subject...

[Marijke · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely engaging biography that reveals so much about the psychology of the artist's work.

[Amy Talluto · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great biography. The author vividly brings Fairfield Porter, his family, friends and the places he painted to life.